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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The man accused of attempting to lure children into a vacant Schenectady home is now behind bars.

Jessica and Ben Hotaling said their son Joseph was lured away from the safety of their backyard over the weekend while he was playing with his neighbor, 6-year-old Ashley Ellis.

“He said there was a toy store down there,” Ashley said. “And then Jo-Jo went with him.”

Joseph walked off with the man, but Ashley ran home.

“She told me, ‘Mommy, there’s toys for sale, and the man on the bike told us to come and see them,’” Mary explained.

But Joseph was not in sight.

“And I was, like, ‘Okay, better go tell his dad,’” Mary said.

Jessica called the police while Ben went looking for Joseph.

“I had my wife call the police and began to drive around just yelling for Joseph,” he said.

No one knew that he had followed the man into a vacant home around the corner.

“It was probably the most helpless I’ve ever felt,” Jessica said.

Joseph eventually heard his father yelling, and he ran out of the house and into the arms of his relieved parents.

The man, whom police said lured the 8-year old away, is William Lindley. He was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

But the Hotalings fears grew when they learned of Lindley’s criminal history.

The 26-year old is on parole for an attempted robbery during which a school teacher was stabbed in the shoulder. At the sentencing, Lindley told the judge he could not have committed the stabbing because of his fear of knives.

Lindley claimed he was molested at knifepoint when he was a child.

“He has no business associating with someone else’s child,” Ben said.

“We are aware of how lucky we are,” Jessica said.

In the end, the Hotalings said their son wasn’t hurt, but they are again having conversations about strangers and urge other parents to do the same.

Police said there were no toys found in the vacant home, but they did find a knife.

Lindley is being held on a parole violation due to his arrest.